1
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Yang Y, Yu Z, Ba Z, Ouyang X, Li B, Yang P, Zhang J, Wang Y, Liu Y, Yang T, Zhao Y, Wu X, Zhong C, Liu H, Zhang Y, Gou S, Ni J. Arginine and tryptophan-rich dendritic antimicrobial peptides that disrupt membranes for bacterial infection in vivo. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 271:116451. [PMID: 38691892 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The potent antibacterial activity and low resistance of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) render them potential candidates for treating multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Herein, a minimalist design strategy was proposed employing the "golden partner" combination of arginine (R) and tryptophan (W), along with a dendritic structure to design AMPs. By extension, the α/ε-amino group and the carboxyl group of lysine (K) were utilized to link R and W, forming dendritic peptide templates αRn(εRn)KWm-NH2 and αWn(εWn)KRm-NH2, respectively. The corresponding linear peptide templates R2nKWm-NH2 and W2nKRm-NH2 were used as controls. Their physicochemical properties, activity, toxicity, and stability were compared. Among these new peptides, the dendritic peptide R2(R2)KW4 was screened as a prospective candidate owing to its preferable antibacterial properties, biocompatibility, and stability. Additionally, R2(R2)KW4 not only effectively restrained the progression of antibiotic resistance, but also demonstrated synergistic utility when combined with conventional antibiotics due to its unique membrane-disruptive mechanism. Furthermore, R2(R2)KW4 possessed low toxicity (LD50 = 109.31 mg/kg) in vivo, while efficiently clearing E. coli in pulmonary-infected mice. In conclusion, R2(R2)KW4 has the potential to become an antimicrobial regent or adjuvant, and the minimalist design strategy of dendritic peptides provides innovative and encouraging thoughts in designing AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinyin Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Zhongwei Yu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Zufang Ba
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Beibei Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Ping Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yu Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yao Liu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Tingting Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yuhuan Zhao
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China
| | - Chao Zhong
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China; Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing, 100050, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China; Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing, 100050, P. R. China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China; Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing, 100050, P. R. China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China; Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing, 100050, P. R. China.
| | - Jingman Ni
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China; Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing, 100050, P. R. China.
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2
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Li B, Ouyang X, Liu Y, Ba Z, Yang Y, Zhang J, Yang P, Yang T, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Mao W, Zhong C, Liu H, Zhang Y, Gou S, Ni J. Novel β-Hairpin Antimicrobial Peptide Containing the β-Turn Sequence of -NG- and the Tryptophan Zippers Facilitate Self-Assembly into Nanofibers, Exhibiting Excellent Antimicrobial Performance. J Med Chem 2024; 67:6365-6383. [PMID: 38436574 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as promising agents to combat the antibiotic resistance crisis due to their rapid bactericidal activity and low propensity for drug resistance. However, AMPs face challenges in terms of balancing enhanced antimicrobial efficacy with increased toxicity during modification processes. In this study, de novo d-type β-hairpin AMPs are designed. The conformational transformation of self-assembling peptide W-4 in the environment of the bacterial membrane and the erythrocyte membrane affected its antibacterial activity and hemolytic activity and finally showed a high antibacterial effect and low toxicity. Furthermore, W-4 displays remarkable stability, minimal occurrence of drug resistance, and synergistic effects when combined with antibiotics. The in vivo studies confirm its high safety and potent wound-healing properties at the sites infected by bacteria. This study substantiates that nanostructured AMPs possess enhanced biocompatibility. These advances reveal the superiority of self-assembled AMPs and contribute to the development of nanoantibacterial materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Li
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Zufang Ba
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yinyin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Ping Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Tingting Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yuhuan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Wenbo Mao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Chao Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
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3
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Yang P, Mao W, Zhang J, Yang Y, Zhang F, Ouyang X, Li B, Wu X, Ba Z, Ran K, Tian Y, Liu H, Zhang Y, Gou S, Zhong C, Ni J. A novel antimicrobial peptide with broad-spectrum and exceptional stability derived from the natural peptide Brevicidine. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 269:116337. [PMID: 38537511 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The global issue of antibiotic resistance is increasingly severe, highlighting the urgent necessity for the development of new antibiotics. Brevicidine, a natural cyclic lipopeptide, exhibits remarkable antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, a comprehensive structure-activity relationship of Brevicidine was investigated through 20 newly synthesized cyclic lipopeptide analogs, resulting in the identification of an optimal linear analog 22. The sequence of analog 22 consisted of five d-amino acids and four non-natural amino acid 2,5-diaminovaleric acid (Orn) and conjugated with decanoic acid at N-terminal. Compared to Brevicidine, analog 22 was easier to synthesize, and exerted broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and excellent stability (t1/2 = 40.98 h). Additionally, analog 22 demonstrated a rapid bactericidal effect by permeating non-specifically through the bacterial membranes, thereby minimizing the likelihood of inducing resistance. Moreover, it exhibited remarkable efficacy in combating bacterial biofilms and reversing bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics. Furthermore, it effectively suppressed the growth of bacteria in vital organs of mice infected with S. aureus ATCC 25923. In conclusion, analog 22 may represent a potential antimicrobial peptide for further optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Wenbo Mao
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yinyin Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Fangyan Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Beibei Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Zufang Ba
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Kaixin Ran
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yali Tian
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Hui Liu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, PR China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, PR China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, PR China
| | - Chao Zhong
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, PR China.
| | - Jingman Ni
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, PR China.
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4
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Zhong C, Zou J, Mao W, Yang P, Zhang J, Gou S, Zhang Y, Liu H, Ni J. Structure modification of anoplin for fighting resistant bacteria. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 268:116276. [PMID: 38452726 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of bacterial resistance has posed a significant challenge to clinical antimicrobial treatment, rendering commonly used antibiotics ineffective. The development of novel antimicrobial agents and strategies is imperative for the treatment of resistant bacterial infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered a promising class of antimicrobial agents due to their low propensity for resistance and broad-spectrum activity. Anoplin is a small linear α-helical natural antimicrobial peptide that was isolated from the venom of the solitary wasp Anplius samariensis. It exhibits rich biological activity, particularly broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and low hemolytic activity. Over the past three decades, more than 40 research publications on anoplin have been made available online. This review focuses on the advancements of anoplin in antimicrobial research, encompassing its sources, characterization, antimicrobial activity, influencing factors and structural modifications. The aim is to provide assistances for the development of new antimicrobial agents that can combat bacterial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China.
| | - Jing Zou
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Wenbo Mao
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Ping Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Yun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Hui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Jingman Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China.
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5
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Huang S, Su G, Jiang S, Chen L, Huang J, Yang F. New N-Terminal Fatty-Acid-Modified Melittin Analogs with Potent Biological Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:867. [PMID: 38255940 PMCID: PMC10815238 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Melittin, a natural antimicrobial peptide, has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. This has resulted in it gaining increasing attention as a potential antibiotic alternative; however, its practical use has been limited by its weak antimicrobial activity, high hemolytic activity, and low proteolytic stability. In this study, N-terminal fatty acid conjugation was used to develop new melittin-derived lipopeptides (MDLs) to improve the characteristics of melittin. Our results showed that compared with native melittin, the antimicrobial activity of MDLs was increased by 2 to 16 times, and the stability of these MDLs against trypsin and pepsin degradation was increased by 50 to 80%. However, the hemolytic activity of the MDLs decreased when the length of the carbon chain of fatty acids exceeded 10. Among the MDLs, the newly designed analog Mel-C8 showed optimal antimicrobial activity and protease stability. The antimicrobial mechanism studied revealed that the MDLs showed a rapid bactericidal effect by interacting with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and penetrating the bacterial cell membrane. In conclusion, we designed and synthesized a new class of MDLs with potent antimicrobial activity, high proteolytic stability, and low hemolytic activity through N-terminal fatty acid conjugation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Huang
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; (S.H.); (L.C.)
| | - Guoqi Su
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; (S.H.); (L.C.)
| | - Shan Jiang
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; (S.H.); (L.C.)
| | - Li Chen
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; (S.H.); (L.C.)
| | - Jinxiu Huang
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; (S.H.); (L.C.)
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, Chongqing 402460, China
| | - Feiyun Yang
- Animal Nutrition Institute, Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; (S.H.); (L.C.)
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, Chongqing 402460, China
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6
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Qi P, He Q, Zhang J, Lian Y, Xie T, Dong J, Zhangsun D, Wu Y, Luo S. Enhancing Stability and Albumin Binding Efficiency of α-Conotoxin GI through Fatty Acid Modification. Biochemistry 2023; 62:3373-3382. [PMID: 37967580 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
α-Conotoxin GI is a competitive blocker of muscle-type acetylcholine receptors and holds the potential for being developed as a molecular probe or a lead compound for drug discovery. In this study, four fatty acid-modified α-conotoxin GI analogues of different lengths were synthesized by using a fatty acid modification strategy. Then, we performed a series of in vitro stability assays, albumin binding assays, and pharmacological activity assays to evaluate these modified mutants. The experimental results showed that the presence of fatty acids significantly enhanced the in vitro stability and albumin binding ability of α-conotoxin GI and that this effect was proportional to the length of the fatty acids used. Pharmacological activity tests showed that the modified mutants maintained a good acetylcholine receptor antagonistic activity. The present study shows that fatty acid modification can be an effective strategy to significantly improve conotoxin stability and albumin binding efficiency while maintaining the original targeting ion channel activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panpan Qi
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Quankuo He
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Junjie Zhang
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yuanyuan Lian
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Ting Xie
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jianying Dong
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Dongting Zhangsun
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Yong Wu
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Sulan Luo
- School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Biomedicine, Nanning 530004, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
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7
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Lennard PR, Hiemstra PS, Nibbering PH. Complementary Activities of Host Defence Peptides and Antibiotics in Combating Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1518. [PMID: 37887219 PMCID: PMC10604037 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12101518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to their ability to eliminate antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria and to modulate the immune response, host defence peptides (HDPs) hold great promise for the clinical treatment of bacterial infections. Whereas monotherapy with HDPs is not likely to become an effective first-line treatment, combinations of such peptides with antibiotics can potentially provide a path to future therapies for AMR infections. Therefore, we critically reviewed the recent literature regarding the antibacterial activity of combinations of HDPs and antibiotics against AMR bacteria and the approaches taken in these studies. Of the 86 studies compiled, 56 featured a formal assessment of synergy between agents. Of the combinations assessed, synergistic and additive interactions between HDPs and antibiotics amounted to 84.9% of the records, while indifferent and antagonistic interactions accounted for 15.1%. Penicillin, aminoglycoside, fluoro/quinolone, and glycopeptide antibiotic classes were the most frequently documented as interacting with HDPs, and Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecium were the most reported bacterial species. Few studies formally evaluated the effects of combinations of HDPs and antibiotics on bacteria, and even fewer assessed such combinations against bacteria within biofilms, in animal models, or in advanced tissue infection models. Despite the biases of the current literature, the studies suggest that effective combinations of HDPs and antibiotics hold promise for the future treatment of infections caused by AMR bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick R. Lennard
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
- Institute of Immunology and Infection, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
- PulmoScience Lab, Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333, The Netherlands
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333, The Netherlands;
| | - Pieter S. Hiemstra
- PulmoScience Lab, Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333, The Netherlands
| | - Peter H. Nibbering
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333, The Netherlands;
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8
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Wang X, Yang X, Wang Q, Meng D. Unnatural amino acids: promising implications for the development of new antimicrobial peptides. Crit Rev Microbiol 2023; 49:231-255. [PMID: 35254957 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2022.2047008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The increasing incidence and rapid spread of bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics are a serious global threat to public health, highlighting the need to develop new antimicrobial alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a class of promising natural antibiotic candidates due to their broad-spectrum activity and low tendency to induce resistance. However, the development of AMPs for medical use is hampered by several obstacles, such as moderate activity, lability to proteolytic degradation, and low bioavailability. To date, many researchers have focussed on the optimization or design of novel artificial AMPs with desired properties. Unnatural amino acids (UAAs) are valuable building blocks in the manufacture of a variety of pharmaceuticals, and have been used to develop artificial AMPs with specific structural and physicochemical properties. Rational incorporation of UAAs has become a very promising approach to endow AMPs with strong and long-lasting activity but no toxicity. This review aims to summarize key approaches that have been used to incorporate UAAs to develop novel AMPs with improved properties and better performance. It is anticipated that this review will guide future design considerations for UAA-based antimicrobial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiaoe Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cosmetic, China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Demei Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Gasin-DH Preservation Technology Co., Ltd, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
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9
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Synergy between Human Peptide LL-37 and Polymyxin B against Planktonic and Biofilm Cells of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12020389. [PMID: 36830299 PMCID: PMC9952724 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12020389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The rise in antimicrobial resistant bacteria is limiting the number of effective treatments for bacterial infections. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are two of the pathogens with the highest prevalence of resistance, and with the greatest need for new antimicrobial agents. Combinations of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antibiotics that display synergistic effects have been shown to be an effective strategy in the development of novel therapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated the synergy between the AMP LL-37 and various classes of antibiotics against E. coli and P. aeruginosa strains. Of the six antibiotics tested (ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, aztreonam, and polymyxin B (PMB)), LL-37 displayed the strongest synergy against E. coli MG1655 and P. aeruginosa PAO1 laboratory strains when combined with PMB. Given the strong synergy, the PMB + LL-37 combination was chosen for further examination where it demonstrated synergy against multidrug-resistant and clinical E. coli isolates. Synergy of PMB + LL-37 towards clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa varied and showed synergistic, additive, or indifferent effects. The PMB + LL-37 combination treatment showed significant prevention of biofilm formation as well as eradication of pre-grown E. coli and P. aeruginosa biofilms. Using the Galleria mellonella wax worm model, we showed that the PMB + LL-37 combination treatment retained its antibacterial capacities in vivo. Flow analyses were performed to characterize the mode of action. The results of the present study provide proof of principle for the synergistic response between LL-37 and PMB and give novel insights into a promising new antimicrobial combination against gram-negative planktonic and biofilm cells.
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10
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Luo X, Chen H, Song Y, Qin Z, Xu L, He N, Tan Y, Dessie W. Advancements, challenges and future perspectives on peptide-based drugs: Focus on antimicrobial peptides. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023; 181:106363. [PMID: 36529161 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Among other health related issues, the rising concerns on drug resistance led to look for alternative pharmaceutical drugs that are effective both against infectious and noninfectious diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) emerged as potential therapeutic molecule with wide range of applications. With their limitations, AMPs have gained reputable attentions in research as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. This review highlighted the historical background, research trends, technological advancements, challenges, and future perspectives in the development and applications of peptide drugs. Some vital questions related with the need for pharmaceutical production, factors for the slow and steady journey, the importance of oral bioavailability, and the drug resistance possibilities of AMPs were raised and addressed accordingly. Therefore, the current study is believed to provide a profound understanding in the past and current scenarios and future directions on the therapeutic impacts of peptide drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Luo
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Huifang Chen
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Yannan Song
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Zuodong Qin
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Lijian Xu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China
| | - Nongyue He
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China
| | - Yimin Tan
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China.
| | - Wubliker Dessie
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China.
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11
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Zhang F, Yang P, Mao W, Zhong C, Zhang J, Chang L, Wu X, Liu H, Zhang Y, Gou S, Ni J. Short, mirror-symmetric antimicrobial peptides centered on "RRR" have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with low drug resistance and toxicity. Acta Biomater 2022; 154:145-167. [PMID: 36241015 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The increasingly severe bacterial resistance worldwide pushes people to discover and design potential antibacterial drugs unavoidably. In this work, a series of short, mirror-symmetric peptides were designed and successfully synthesized, centered on "RRR" and labeled with hydrophobic amino acids at both ends. Based on the structure-activity relationship analysis, LWWR (LWWRRRWWL-NH2) was screened as a desirable mirror-symmetric peptide for further study. As expected, LWWR displayed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against the standard bacteria and antibiotic-resistant strains. Undoubtedly, the high stability of LWWR in a complex physiological environment was an essential guarantee to maximizing its antibacterial activity. Indeed, LWWR also exhibited a rapid bactericidal speed and a low tendency to develop bacterial resistance, based on the multiple actions of non-receptor-mediated membrane actions and intra-cellular mechanisms. Surprisingly, although LWWR showed similar in vivo antibacterial activity compared with Polymyxin B and Melittin, the in vivo safety of LWWR was far higher than that of them, so LWWR had better therapeutic potential. In summary, the desirable mirror-symmetric peptide LWWR was promised as a potential antibacterial agent to confront the antibiotics resistance crisis. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Witnessing the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, a series of short, mirror-symmetric peptides based on the symmetric center "RRR" and hydrophobic terminals were designed and synthesized in this study. Among, LWWR (LWWRRRWWL-NH2) presented broad-spectrum antibacterial activity both in vitro and in vivo due to its multiple mechanisms and good stability. Meanwhile, the low drug resistance and toxicity of LWWR also suggested its potential for clinical application. The findings of this study will provide some inspiration for the design and development of potential antibacterial agents, and contribute to the elimination of bacterial infections worldwide as soon as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyan Zhang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Ping Yang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Wenbo Mao
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Chao Zhong
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Linlin Chang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, 2019RU066, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China; Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
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12
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Ouyang X, Li B, Yang Y, Ba Z, Zhang J, Zhang T, Chang L, Zhang F, Zhang Y, Liu H, Gou S, Ni J. Improving the Antimicrobial Performance of Amphiphilic Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Using Glutamic Acid Full-Scan and Positive Charge Compensation Strategies. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13833-13851. [PMID: 36148510 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Nonselective toxicity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) needs to be solved urgently for their application. Temporin-PE (T-PE, FLPIVAKLLSGLL-NH2), an AMP extracted from skin secretions of frogs, has high toxicity and specific antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. To improve the antimicrobial performance of T-PE, a series of T-PE analogues were designed and synthesized by glutamic acid full-scan, and then their key positions were replaced with lysine. Finally, E11K4K10, the highest therapeutic indicial AMP, was screened out. E11K4K10 was not easy to induce and produce drug-resistant bacteria when used alone, as well as it could also inhibit the development of the drug resistance of traditional antibiotics when it was used in combination with the traditional antibiotics. In addition, E11K4K10 had an excellent therapeutic effect on a mouse model of pulmonary bacterial infection. Taken together, this study provides a new approach for the further improvement of new antimicrobial peptides against the antimicrobial-resistance crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Beibei Li
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Yinyin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Zufang Ba
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Tianyue Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Linlin Chang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Fangyan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.,Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050, P. R. China
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13
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Influence of Acetylation on the Mechanism of Action of Antimicrobial Peptide L163. Int J Pept Res Ther 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-022-10387-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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14
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Schweizer L, Ramirez D, Schweizer F. Effects of Lysine N-ζ-Methylation in Ultrashort Tetrabasic Lipopeptides (UTBLPs) on the Potentiation of Rifampicin, Novobiocin, and Niclosamide in Gram-Negative Bacteria. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11030335. [PMID: 35326798 PMCID: PMC8963254 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11030335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Outer membrane (OM) drug impermeability typically associated with a molecular weight above 600 Da and high hydrophobicity prevents accumulation of many antibiotics in Gram-negative bacteria (GNB). Previous studies have shown that ultrashort tetrabasic lipopeptides (UTBLPs) containing multiple lysine residues potentiate Gram-positive bacteria (GPB)-selective antibiotics in GNB by enhancing OM permeability. However, there is no available information on how N-substitution at the ζ-position of lysine in UTBLPs affects antibiotic potentiation in GNB. To study these effects, we prepared a series of branched and linear UTBLPs that differ in the degree of N-ζ-methylation and studied their potentiating effects with GPB-selective antibiotics including rifampicin, novobiocin, niclosamide, and chloramphenicol against wild-type and multidrug-resistant GNB isolates. Our results show that increasing N-ζ-methylation reduces or abolishes the potentiating effects of UTBLPs with rifampicin, novobiocin, and niclosamide against GNB. No trend was observed with chloramphenicol that is largely affected by efflux. We were unable to observe a correlation between the strength of the antibiotic potentiating effect to the increase in fluorescence in the 1-N-phenylnaphthylamine (NPN) OM permeability assay suggesting that other factors besides OM permeability of NPN play a role in antibiotic potentiation. In conclusion, our study has elucidated crucial structure–activity relationships for the optimization of polybasic antibiotic potentiators in GNB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus Schweizer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada;
| | - Danyel Ramirez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada;
| | - Frank Schweizer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada;
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada
- Correspondence:
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15
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Dashevsky D, Rodriguez J. A Short Review of the Venoms and Toxins of Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13110744. [PMID: 34822528 PMCID: PMC8622703 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13110744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitoid wasps represent the plurality of venomous animals, but have received extremely little research in proportion to this taxonomic diversity. The lion’s share of investigation into insect venoms has focused on eusocial hymenopterans, but even this small sampling shows great promise for the development of new active substances. The family Pompilidae is known as the spider wasps because of their reproductive habits which include hunting for spiders, delivering a paralyzing sting, and entombing them in burrows with one of the wasp’s eggs to serve as food for the developing larva. The largest members of this family, especially the tarantula hawks of the genus Pepsis, have attained notoriety for their large size, dramatic coloration, long-term paralysis of their prey, and incredibly painful defensive stings. In this paper we review the existing research regarding the composition and function of pompilid venoms, discuss parallels from other venom literatures, identify possible avenues for the adaptation of pompilid toxins towards human purposes, and future directions of inquiry for the field.
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Wang C, Hong T, Cui P, Wang J, Xia J. Antimicrobial peptides towards clinical application: Delivery and formulation. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 175:113818. [PMID: 34090965 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides hold promise to supplement small molecules antibiotics and combat the multidrug resistant microbes. There are however technical hurdles towards the clinical applications, largely due to the inherent limitations of peptides including stability, cytotoxicity and bioavailability. Here we review recent studies concerning the delivery and formulation of antimicrobial peptides, by categorizing the different strategies as driven by physical interactions or chemical conjugation reactions, and carriers ranging from inorganic based ones (including gold, silver and silica based solid nanoparticles) to organic ones (including micelle, liposome and hydrogel) are covered. Besides, targeted delivery of antimicrobial peptides or using antimicrobial peptides as the targeting moiety, and responsive release of the peptides after delivery are also reviewed. Lastly, strategies towards the increase of oral bioavailability, from both physical or chemical methods, are highlighted. Altogether, this article provides a comprehensive review of the recent progress of the delivery and formulation of antimicrobial peptides towards clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, China
| | - Tingting Hong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, China
| | - Pengfei Cui
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, China
| | - Jianhao Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, China.
| | - Jiang Xia
- Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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Zhong C, Zhang F, Yao J, Zhu Y, Zhu N, Zhang J, Ouyang X, Zhang T, Li B, Xie J, Ni J. New Antimicrobial Peptides with Repeating Unit against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:1619-1637. [PMID: 33829758 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
With the aim of tackling the increasingly serious antimicrobial resistance and improving the clinical potential of AMPs, a facile de novo strategy was adopted in this study, and a series of new peptides comprising repeating unit (WRX)n (X represents I, L, F, W, and K; n = 2, 3, 4, or 5) and amidation at C-terminus were designed. Most of the newly designed peptides exhibited a broad range of excellent antimicrobial activities against various bacteria, especially difficult-to-kill multidrug-resistant bacteria clinical isolates. Among (WRK)4 and (WRK)5, with n = 4 and n = 5 of repeating unit WRK, the highest selectivity for anionic bacterial membranes over a zwitterionic mammalian cell membrane is presented with strong antimicrobial potential and low toxicity. Additionally, both (WRK)4 and (WRK)5 emerged with fast killing speed and low tendency of resistance in sharp contrast to the conventional antibiotics ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and imipenem, as well as having antimicrobial activity through multiple mechanisms including a membrane-disruptive mechanism and an intramolecular mechanism (nucleic acid leakage, DNA binding and ROS generation) characterized by a series of assays. Furthermore, (WRK)4 exerted impressive therapeutic effects in vivo similarly to polymyxin B but displayed much lower toxicity in vivo than polymyxin B. Taken together, the newly designed peptides (WRK)4 and (WRK)5 presented tremendous potential as novel antimicrobial candidates in response to the growing antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Fangyan Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jia Yao
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yuewen Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ningyi Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Tianyue Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Beibei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macao 999078, China
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Li R, He S, Yin K, Zhang B, Yi Y, Zhang M, Pei N, Huang L. Effects of N-terminal modifications on the stability of antimicrobial peptide SAMP-A4 analogues against protease degradation. J Pept Sci 2021; 27:e3352. [PMID: 34028137 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Infections with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens are increasingly concerning for public health. Synthesized antimicrobial peptide A4 (SAMP-A4), a peptide computationally designed by our research team, is a potential drug candidate. However, the antimicrobial peptide SAMP-A4 is easily degraded in serum. To obtain SAMP-A4 analogues with high biostability, chemical modifications at its N-terminus, including fatty acid conjugation, glycosylation and PEGylation, were carried out. The results showed that the introduction of hydrophobic fatty acids at the N-terminus of SAMP-A4 is better than hydrophilic glycosylation and PEGylation. With increasing fatty acid chain length, the stability of SAMP-A4 analogues in serum and trypsin solutions is significantly improved, and the activities against MDR bacteria and Candida are significantly enhanced. There is no obvious change in haemolysis even when hexanoic acid is coupled with SAMP-A4, so the resulting analogue SAMP-A4-C6, SAMP-A4 conjugated with hexanoic acid, is the most likely of the analogues to become a drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruifang Li
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Songlin He
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Kedong Yin
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Beibei Zhang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanjie Yi
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Nanqi Pei
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Liang Huang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
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Potent Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Feleucin-K3 Analogs Modified by α-(4-Pentenyl)-Ala against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11050761. [PMID: 34069651 PMCID: PMC8160793 DOI: 10.3390/biom11050761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The dramatic increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) highlights an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial therapies. Thus, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as promising novel antibiotic alternatives. Feleucin-K3 is an amphiphilic α-helical nonapeptide that has powerful antimicrobial activity. In our previous study, it was found that the fourth residue of Feleucin-K3 is important for antimicrobial activity. After α-(4-pentenyl)-Ala was introduced into this position, both the antimicrobial activity and stability were greatly improved. Herein, to improve the limitations of Feleucin-K3, this unnatural amino acid was further introduced into different positions of Feleucin-K3. Among these synthetic Feleucin-K3 analogs, the N-terminal-substituted analog Feleucin-K65 (K65) and C-terminal-substituted analog Feleucin-K70 (K70) had preferable antimicrobial activity. In particular, their antimicrobial activities against multidrug-resistant bacteria were more potent than that of antibiotics. The stabilities of these peptides in salt and serum environments were improved compared with those of Feleucin-K3. In addition, these analogs had low hemolytic activity and AMR. More importantly, they effectively inhibited biofilm formation and exhibited considerable efficacy compared with traditional antibiotics against biofilm infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In antimicrobial mechanism studies, K65 and K70 mainly permeated the outer membrane and depolarized the cytoplasmic membrane, resulting in cellular component leakage and cell death. In summary, analogs K65 and K70 are potential antimicrobial alternatives to solve the antibiotic crisis.
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Manniello MD, Moretta A, Salvia R, Scieuzo C, Lucchetti D, Vogel H, Sgambato A, Falabella P. Insect antimicrobial peptides: potential weapons to counteract the antibiotic resistance. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:4259-4282. [PMID: 33595669 PMCID: PMC8164593 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03784-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have contributed in the last decades to a phenomenon known as antibiotic resistance which is currently considered one of the principal threats to global public health by the World Health Organization. The aim to find alternative drugs has been demonstrated as a real challenge. Thanks to their biodiversity, insects represent the largest class of organisms in the animal kingdom. The humoral immune response includes the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are released into the insect hemolymph after microbial infection. In this review, we have focused on insect immune responses, particularly on AMP characteristics, their mechanism of action and applications, especially in the biomedical field. Furthermore, we discuss the Toll, Imd, and JAK-STAT pathways that activate genes encoding for the expression of AMPs. Moreover, we focused on strategies to improve insect peptides stability against proteolytic susceptibility such as D-amino acid substitutions, N-terminus modification, cyclization and dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Manniello
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - A Moretta
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - R Salvia
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - C Scieuzo
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - D Lucchetti
- Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - H Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - A Sgambato
- Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), Rionero in Vulture (PZ), Italy
| | - P Falabella
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy.
- Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy.
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21
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Zhu N, Zhong C, Liu T, Zhu Y, Gou S, Bao H, Yao J, Ni J. Newly designed antimicrobial peptides with potent bioactivity and enhanced cell selectivity prevent and reverse rifampin resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Eur J Pharm Sci 2021; 158:105665. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2020.105665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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